TACO Bell has been given the green light to set up shop on a site just outside of the Bathurst central business district, but changes will need to be made to the plans.
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The development application (DA) for the drive-through restaurant was discussed at Wednesday's council meeting, having been presented with a recommendation to grant consent and impose 87 conditions on the development.
An alternate motion was put forward, which included all the same conditions, but proposed one more change.
Councillor Warren Aubin requested that the design be changed so that entry is only allowed via Howick Street and all vehicles have to leave the site via Stewart Street.
Without this condition, which was ultimately adopted, there would have been no impact on ingress to the site, but vehicles would have been allowed to exit via Howick Street as well.
Cr Aubin said he wouldn't vote in favour of the DA without this condition, saying it all came down to safety.
He likened the situation to the traffic problems around the KFC driveway on George Street and said council needed to act before Taco Bell was built to avoid similar issues.
"If we let traffic exit from Howick Street, the major thing they're going to do is do a right turn onto Stewart Street and that, as far as I'm concerned, is one of the most dangerous intersections in town," he said.
"I will not - and I challenge the people that I take for driving lessons, I challenge them a lot - I will not turn right at that intersection at any point in the day. It is dangerous.
"You think of an evening, when the lights aren't so good, semi trailers come down there in the left hand lane and there's a lack of sight distance, it's very dangerous, and we're going to be aiding and abetting that situation."
His comments were supported by Cr Monica Morse.
"I raised this issue with Cr Aubin as a person not nearly so experienced in traffic matters as Cr Aubin and we discussed it because he is very aware of all the intersections in Bathurst through his experiences training learner drivers and he is on the traffic committee," she said.
"I think that we have to acknowledge that that group and Cr Aubin's experience should be listened to in this context, but I certainly was concerned about it before I got his advice."
Councillors offered up some alternatives to Cr Aubin's amendment, including alterations to the concrete divider on Stewart Street to prevent people turning right from Howick Street, but they ultimately accepted his idea.
The only person to vote against the DA was Cr Jacqui Rudge, who said the location just wasn't suitable for a number of reasons.
"I'd love to see Taco Bell come to Bathurst and I am supportive of any business seeking to open its doors here, however I feel that the development site is not consistent with the objectives of the R1 general residential zone, under the Bathurst Regional Local Environment Plan 2014, where it actually states 'To enable a comm develop that is compatible with the amenity of the area'," she said.
"You simply cannot compare the motel, the leadlight business or the craft shop with the Taco Bell restaurant, seating up to 40 people, with takeaway and drive-through service available."
She said the noise and odour generated by the development would have an impact on the neighbouring residents, who are also in a heritage conservation area.
Councillors who supported the DA justified their position by pointing out the jobs it would create for residents and the need to encourage development in Bathurst at this time.
